57 seconds

I went to Aksara bookstore this afternoon, I found a book entittled "Fifty Seven Seconds" . When I saw it in a glance, I immediately understood wht the book is all about, ... yes it is about Yogyakarta' earthquake that hit on late May last year. I was there, I testified the gloomy Saturday. Yes I'm a part of that history. I bought it straight away despite on its bloody expensive price... yet I think it's worthed... again it is a documentation of a drama in my life.

I have read it. It touched me deeply. I was a part of that drama....

I remember, my house was the only one that wasn't damage, Alhamdulillah, the houses surrounded were badly damage and collapse. More than seven of my close neighbours were died. My best friend parents , both were died at once. I was shocked.

That early morning I was still on my bed, sleeping. When the earth started rumbling, I felt that my body had thrown away from my bed, I fell on the floor, hit my red laptop. I was trying to stand up and walk, didn't work... then I crawl, trying to get out from my room. I looked at my parent's room, the door was shut down, so I thought they weren't there since the night before they said that they are going to exercise early morning. I ran outside, all I could think was getting out the house safely. I didn't know what time it was.

I managed to get out from my house where I found almost all of my neighbours were on the street, panicked. I asked my maids where were my mom and dad, none of them were answered my Q, they were shocked. I slapped one of them to wake them up cos I needed to know where were my mom and dad. One of them said that they trapped inside.

Without saying a word, I ran back inside my house when the earth still swinging, I couldn't remember how I managed to get in. I saw my mom and dad were crawling to reach their room's door. When I was going to help them, I saw scattered glasses everywhere... I knew once I stepped in, it would torn my skin. My dad shout "stand there and find a flip-flops for mom"
I grabbed any flip-flop for my dad and mom... and I wore one for me... I passed through the living room where all my mom' crystal decoratives were cracked all over the floor.

I helped my dad to hold-up and support my mom, she was shocked, panicked and stressed. My mom and dad kept praying while I headed them to go outside the house. When I realised, the view outside was so so horrible, it was just something you never had imagined in your life and the least thing you wanted to experience in this world. I saw 80% of the buildings around my house were collapse, people were crying and shouting... so chaotic. I dragged a chair from the terrace to the street, I asked my mom to sit and calm herself down.

Everybody were still wondering what was just happened, no one had a clear clue. I remembered my brother who lived at the north part of Yogya, near Mount Merapi. Everybody thought the earthquake cause by the volcanic mount activities. And that was why I was so worried bout my bro, I didn't remember how my dad' mobile was in me.. anyway I tried to call him billion times, the network was so bad, couldnt got through. I was panicked, knowing that even in my area where it is miles away from the mount was badly affected, how about there ? My mom was crying so much...

the second after, my neighbours were histerical, they started to find that they missed their family members.

Gosh! then another earthquakes were hit... followed by another scream,... I stood still next to my mom. She was ill at that time. I didn't want to take a chance to leave her in any second.

Somehow I knew it was still 6 am!

My brother and my sister in-law shown-up after some times, we were so relieved to see them alright. He was so surprised knowing that the neighbourhood was affected so badly. We talked and discuss about all the possibilities, how about if another big scale earthquakes were struck, how about if the tsunami happend... how... how... We both tried our best to use our logic and made smart decision for the family especially for our mom.

Then everyone were running and screaming.."tsunami...tsunami...tsunami.." My mom was so panicked and wanted to run away with the mass. I hold her and asked her to sit, I looked up at the sky at the south where the south sea is, then my brother and I gazed each other... "it'll be fine, no tsunami.. InshAllah" my dad and some of my neighbour shout "no tsunami, calm down... just calm down... " some of them were listened, many of them were so panicked and run... My brother and I learned from Aceh tragedy, the signs of tsunami. One of the lessons is the nature sign, when the animals -in our case birds- are flickering away from the sea it means we are in danger.

No Tsunami.

After a while, we were shocked by the numbers of us who were injured. Some of them were trapped on the buildings. And they were dying. I didn't know what should I do... after a while, I saw dead... and another dead...and another....
I was so stressed!

For more than a week, my house then became a kind of barrack. lot of my neighboors were sleeping in the garage and terrace. None of us were actually have a gut to be in the building. We were traumatic... since hundred of small and medium scale of earthquake were still hit.

Me my self and my family went to our other house outside the city--for the safety reason-- felt so bad since we had to be away from our suffer neighbour, but I think it was the best decision that my brother and I made. My mom were bit mad at us, cause we were so hard on her. We don't want to endanger her and we love her so much... that's why.. well maybe we were bit over-protective...

The recovery is still going on till today. For sme of us, they have to pay this drama very very expensive by losing their beloved ones and their treasures. I can say, me and my family were so lucky and we are so grateful...

In the end, we simply human rite ? so weak and fragile... and what I've learnt was we can't choose when, where and how the death greets us.

yeah... it was merely 57 seconds drama... with more than 6000 people died.

only 57 seconds.